Members trusted NSWNMA ward representatives 
to convey their views and keep them informed.

The NSWNMA was able to run a strong campaign for ratios at St Vincent’s Private Hospital (SVPH) and the Mater Hospital because it built an extensive network of branch representatives in every department.

Department reps served as links between members in individual departments, and branch exec-
utive members responsible for an entire hospital.

Grainne Murphy, Vice-President of the SVPH branch, said building trust between members and their department reps was a key factor in the campaign’s success.

“Members were not getting accurate information from the hospital executive about the enterprise agreement negotiations.

“However, they knew they could trust the information the union was giving them via the department reps.

“Members also trusted their department reps to present their views to the branch and 
to management.

“We listened to the members and what they wanted was ratios. Through our industrial action we got management to agree to ratios, despite them earlier saying to us 
that ratios would never happen.

“We got a pay rise significantly better than what SVHA was earlier prepared to pay.

“We also got the reinstatement of allowances that were taken away in previous years during negotiations with the former SVHA executive.

“These results have strengthened the branch because the members can clearly see what the union has achieved for them.”

Grainne said department reps were now in a position to talk directly to new grads when they joined 
the hospital, and sign them up to join the NSWNMA.

The branch had also picked up new members from among long-serving nurses who earlier declined to join the union.

“They agreed to join us after seeing how hard the branch worked to get results for all the nursing staff.

“There is always friendly fire when you put yourself out there – you will get shot down.

“However, we knew we had to do it – and we did it for members and got a positive outcome.

“It was a long dispute but the members never weakened in their determination to get a good result.

“They were determined not to be pushed around.

“We had not had a strike for 30 years, but after we held the initial strike in December 2022 we became stronger, if anything, and more united.

“Members were angry and upset that management refused to seriously negotiate on ratios and what they offered us was totally inadequate.

“It was inferior to what nurses at Sydney Adventist Hospital had already achieved and it contained clauses that would have allowed management to renege on even these unsatisfactory ratios at any time without any explanation.”

Grainne said the union’s extensive mapping network of depart-
ment reps made it a strong tool for the campaign.

She added that the hospital’s previous executive had eroded nurses’ working conditions.

“We want to build our relationship with the current executive, help them to recruit more staff and 
make the hospital a much better working environment.

“This new EBA is not perfect, but it will hopefully provide some reassurance to our members that we are going in the right direction to rebuild our once-positive culture.”